Fastening device for shoes or other articles



(No Model.)

' W. DIGKTEN. FASTENING DEVICE FOR SHOES OR OTHER ARTICLES.

No. 581,904. Patented May 4, 1897.

Ilnrrnn STATES FFICE.

PATENT WILLIAM DIOKTEN, OF CINCINNATI, OHIO.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 581 ,904, dated May 4,1897. Application filed November 5, 1894. Serial No. 527,897. (Nomodel.)

T0 to whom, it may concern:

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM DIOKTEN, a subject of the Emperor ofGermany,and a resident of the city of Cincinnati, in the county ofHamilton and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and usefulImprovementsin Fas' toning Devices for Shoes or other Articles, of whichthe following is a specification.

The several features of my invention and the various advantagesresulting from their use conjointly or otherwise will be apparent fromthe following description and claims.

In the accompanying drawings, making a part of this application, inwhich similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts, Figurel is a View in perspective of a shoe with which my invention has beencombined and to which it has been applied. Fig. 2 is an elevation ofeither side of the sliding fastener embodying certain features of myinvention. Fig. 3 is a top View of the device shown in Fig. 2. Fig. 4 isa top or plan View of my invention applied to hold together adj acentparts and showing, among other things, the mode of loosening the hold ofthe fastener upon said coupled parts. This view also illustrates a modeof constructing the terminals for use as tie-strings. Fig. 5 is anelevation of the edge of the devices shown in Fig. at, that edge of thefigure being shown which faces toward the lower side of the drawings.Fig. 6 is a cross horizontal section of an ankle and also showing anapproved mode of tying the strings hereinafter described.

A indicates the sliding fastener, of which A is the main or centralportion.

A A indicate the wings or extensions, one on each side of the mainportion.

In the longitudinal center of the bottom of the main portion is a slot AAbove this slot and connected therewith is the central opening A For thepurpose of forming the portions of this openinginto two generaldivisions a tongue or extension A from the roof of the opening A extendsdown partly through the opening A thereby forming the two channels A AThe materials to be coupled are of any desired kind and so also is theshape of those materials.

The articles to be coupled are various. Thus carriage curtains may becoupled.

Shoes may be lacedi. e., the edges of the parts to be coupled to holdthe shoe on the footmay be united by my fastening. Many other-articlescan be thus coupled, and these will naturally suggest themselves to anyone acquainted with the nature of my invention.

15 B represent opposite parts or pieces to be coupled. The adjacentedges of these parts B B are respectively provided with theguidingbeadings or cordings B In certain classes of materials thebeading can be formed on and out of the article or part B. In caseswhere the beading is attached to the part B the mode of attachment is tobe varied as circumstances admit and the occasion demands.

In the present illustrative instance the material B being thin at itsedge is rolled around a core, as O, substantially as shown in Fig. 5,and then fastened in place. The neck 13 uniting the beading to thematerial should be thinner than the thickness of the beading. Inpractice the sliding fastener is lipped onto the headings, substantiallyas shown. Then these bead in gs will lie in the channel A substantiallyas shown, and where the headings are circular in cross-section thedivision extension A will retain them and the sliding fastener thebetter in posit-i011. The fastener A slides upon the beadings and ismoved to that place where the coupling is to be continned.

Usually a number of these fasteners will be used to unite parts B, whoseedges to be coupled are of any length.

As it is not very easy to readily adjust the sliding fasteners onto theheadings, it is desirable to arrange the construction so that thefastener after being slid away from the parts 13 when they are to beleft uncoupled can be quickly and easily returned to the couplingposition. I have invented a novel and exceedingly useful mode ofaccomplishing these objectsviz., I make the guiding-beading of greaterextent than the parts of the article to be coupled and separatetherefrom, substantially as shown. Then the article is to be uncoupled,I run the sliding fastener or fasteners A onto these extensions B of thebeading or cording B These beadings or cordings B are preferablyflexible and can then be folded in a convenient manner. In the case of ashoe this cording may be suitably fastened at the sides or made longenough to tie. I prefer, however, to use in this connection otherfeatures of my invention, to wit: To the free end of each beading B Iattach a light flexible cord D, whereby the same may be tied. One modeof such tying is shown in Fig. 1. For the purposes of the more quicklyand conveniently fastening the beading I provide the same with loops Cand render these elastic.

When the loose beading is to be fastened, the two parallel portions areseparated and wound around the ankle, substantially as shown. Each loopis then carried over the adjacent sliding fastener and looped under thewing or extension A on the opposite side of the fastener from thedirection in which the loop comes, substantially as shown in Fig. 6. Thetie is quickly unfastened by removing the loop from engagement with thefastener and then removing it from around the ankle. Before taking theshoe off from the foot the sliding fasteners A are also run up onto-theloose beading B substantially as illustrated in Fig. 4.

Usually that one of the fasteners which is lowest down on the foot isallowed to remain in place and the rest are slid off.

One purpose of the extensions A viz., to engage a loop, as (I -has beenspecified. Another and important function of the extension A is toenable the sliding fastener to be more readily handled. These extensionsafford a hold for the fingers of the operator in adjusting the slidingfasteners in place for use or in removing them from coupling.

In the case of a shoe and analogous articles a portion, eitherimmediately adjacent to the beading or subject to be drawn upon by saidportion, is preferably made elastic in order to enable the shoe toconform to the various shapes of foot of the same general size for whichthe shoe is adapted, also to accommodate the shoe to socks or stockingsof various thicknesses. Thus the shoe can be worn under the same varyingcircumstances under which an ordinary laced shoe can be worn.

The sliding fastener is very quickly applied, and when in use cannot beuntied, has no lacing-strings to let go and allow the shoe to becomeloose on the foot, and cannot be uncoupled, unless intentionally byhuman agency. The shoe can be coupled quicker than in the case of alaced shoe.

In its application to a shoe the bottom of the fastener should beconvexly curved to adapt it to the shape of the foot in crosssection.

My invention, economical of manufacture and being readily handled incoupling and uncoupling, is a desideratum in the art of couplers andfastening devices.

That I claim as new and of my invention, and desire to secure by LettersPatent, is-

1. The combination of a sliding fastener having opening A and slot A andparts B, B, and the beadings respectively connected thereto, and theextension B of the beading separate from parts B, B, substantially asand for the purposes specified.

2. The combination of a sliding fastener having opening A and slot A andparts B, B, and the beadings connected thereto, and the flexibleextensions of the beading separate from parts B, B, and stringsconnected to said extensions, substantially as and for the purposesspecified.

3. The combination of the beading attached directly to the upper, andbeading separate from the upper, but an extension of the firstnamedbeading, and elastic strings connected to the last-named beading, and afastener embracing the beading, substantially as and for the purposesspecified.

4. The combination of beading, and parts B, and flexible extension B ofthe beading, and strings attached to the free end of the beading and afastener embracing the beadin g and sliding thereon, substantially asand for the purposes specified.

5. The combination of the separable beading B for connection to piecesB, substantially as described, and the flexible extensions B of saidbeadings, and the elastic looping pieces 0 at the terminals of thebeadings, and a fastener embracing and sliding on the beading and havingthe extension A substantially as and for the purposes specified.

6. The combination of a shoe having the upper pieces B, B, made elastic,and the beadings connected thereto, and a fastener sliding on thebeadings, substantially as and for the purposes specified.

7. As a new article of manufacture, a sliding fastener, consisting ofthe central portion A, having the axial opening A and the slottedopening A through its bottom connected to the opening A and the sideextensions A adapted to receive the necks B of the shoeleathers, and thebeading respectively attached to the said necks, substantially as andfor the purposes specified.

8. The combination of a shoe and beadings and sliding fastener havingopening A for receiving the beadings, and slot A for allowing the neckconnecting the headings to the shoe to pass, and extensions A from eachside of the central part of the fastener, the base of the fastenercurved concavely, substantially as and for the purposes specified.

WILLIAM DIOKTEN.

Attest:

WM. E. J ONES, K. SMITH.

